LEGO Mars Curiosity Rover To Launch On New Year’s Day

You can kick off the new year with a little space-themed Lego time when the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover launches on New Year’s Day. The 295-piece set was a design originally put up on the CUUSOO site as a fan-generated idea. What made it special was that the fan happened to be mechanical engineer Stephen Pakbaz who worked on the actual Curiosity. He has since been working with Lego to make their version as close to the one rolling around Mars as possible. According to Pakaz:

“It has a functioning rocker-bogie suspension system and fully articulated robotic arm. It can be used to explore the unknown regions of your house or office.”

The Lego Curiosity Rover will retail for $29.99 in the Lego Store when it launches on New Year’s Day.